Written Answers Thursday 19 July 2007

Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the advertising of alcohol.

Shona Robison: The Scottish government is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of alcohol-related issues.

Asthma

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that people with asthma have access to Xolair, in light of draft guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to recommend Xolair for the treatment of severe allergic asthma.

Shona Robison: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) draft single technology appraisal (STA) on Xolair does not constitute the Institute’s formal guidance and the draft recommendations may change following consultation.

  NICE STA guidance does not apply in Scotland where the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) provides early advice on newly licensed medicines. In June 2006 and January 2007, the SMC issued advice to NHSScotland on the use of Xolair as add-on therapy to improve asthma control in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and above with severe persistent allergic asthma. The SMC did not recommend Xolair for use as the economic case was not demonstrated. This advice can be accessed at www.scottishmedicines.org.

  The manufacturer of Xolair has made a further resubmission to the SMC and their updated advice is expected to be published on Monday, 8 October 2007.

Asylum Seekers

Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many children are currently being held at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre.

Adam Ingram: The operation of Dungavel is a matter for the Home Office. We do not currently have information on the number of children currently detained in Dungavel.

Asylum Seekers

Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in improving the recording of child protection work and in providing a child protection log at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre.

Adam Ingram: The operation of Dungavel is a matter for the Home Office. The Scottish Government is clear that the welfare of all children in Scotland is paramount and we will raise with the Home Office the progress made in improving the recording of child protection work and in providing a child protection log at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre as recommended in the recent HM Inspectorate of Prisons inspection.

Asylum Seekers

Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many social work assessments of children were carried out on the 122 children detained at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre in the first 11 months of 2006.

Adam Ingram: The operation of Dungavel is a matter for the Home Office. Social work assessments of children at Dungavel are carried out by South Lanarkshire Council. The Executive does not hold information on the number of assessments undertaken in the specified period.

Asylum Seekers

Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost is of social work support for children at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre.

Adam Ingram: The operation of Dungavel is a matter for the Home Office. The Executive does not hold this information.

Asylum Seekers

Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many children in total were detained at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre in the period from December 2006 to June 2007.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government does not have information on how many children were detained at the Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre since the operation of Dungavel is a matter for the Home Office.

Cancer

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) average and (b) longest wait for urgent breast cancer referrals were in each year since 2003, broken down by NHS hospital.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information on median and longest waits for urgent breast cancer referrals for the years and in the format requested, is available from in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre under:

  Table a: Number of urgently referred breast cancer patients with the median and maximum wait between referral and diagnosis by year and hospital/institution of diagnosis (2004)

  Source: Information Services Division, NHS National Services Scotland, Bib. number 43179.

  Table b: Number of urgently referred breast cancer patients with the median and maximum wait between referral and diagnosis by year and hospital/institution of diagnosis (2005), Bib. number: 43180.

  Table c: Number of urgently referred breast cancer patients with the median and maximum wait between referral and diagnosis by year and hospital/institution of diagnosis (2006), Bib. number: 43181.

Cancer

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times have been for cancer patients from (a) diagnosis and (b) urgent GP referral to start of treatment in each of the last 12 quarters.

Nicola Sturgeon: (a) Information on waiting times from diagnosis to treatment is only collected centrally for patients with breast cancer. The data presented in the following table therefore refer to breast cancer patients only.

  Number of Breast Cancer Patients with the Median Wait between Diagnosis and First Treatment by Period of Diagnosis

  

Period of Diagnosis
Number of Patients with Recorded Treatment Date
Median wait Between Diagnosis and First Treatment


1 January to 31 March 2004
866
18


1 April to 30 June 2004
868
20


1 July to 30 September 2004
808
20


1 October to 31 December 2004
938
21


1 January to 31 March 2005
871
20


1 April to 30 June 2005
959
20


1 July to 30 September 2005
899
20


1 October to 31 December 2005
934
21


1 January to 31 March 2006
966
20


1 April to 30 June 2006
925
20


1 July to 30 September 2006
937
21


1 October to 31 December 2006
954
20



  Source: Information Services Division, NHS National Services Scotland.

  Exclusion categories are: died prior to receiving treatment, refused treatment, patient induced non-clinical delay, co-morbidities, clinical reasons and initially referred to another non-cancer speciality.

  (b) Information on the waiting times of cancer patients between referral and first treatment are collected centrally. These are collated to report performance against the target that "the maximum wait from urgent referral to treatment for all cancers will be two months". Quarterly performance information against that target, broken down by NHS board and cancer type is available from the Scottish Executive website at www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/cancer/waiting-times.

  It should be noted that cancer waiting times data are subject to continuous development and quality improvement.

  These improvements need to be taken in to account when making comparisons on quarter on quarter performance.

Care of Elderly People

Alasdair Allan (Western Isles) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, when determining questions of property deprivation for the purposes of calculating the cost of personal care, it will disregard property in cases where a home has been made over to a family member who has to live in a tied house due to their employment conditions and who has no other home in the event of their employment terminating.

Shona Robison: Local authorities take no account of property or any other assets in determining free personal care payments to people aged 65 or over whom they assess as needing residential care.

  The National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1992 provide the framework for local authorities to charge for care that they provide or arrange in residential care homes. The Scottish Executive provides local authorities with guidance on charging. It is for the local authority to decide in each case whether or not to disregard the value of a property in assessing the resident’s contribution towards the cost of residential care, having regard to the guidance on the deprivation of capital and treatment of property. The regulations and the guidance include circumstances in which property must be disregarded.

Children with Disabilities

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the announcement by HM Treasury of £340 million support for disabled children in England from 2008 to 2011, whether disabled children in Scotland will benefit from an equivalent sum allocated under the Barnett formula.

Adam Ingram: Consequential funding is agreed biannually and is dependent on confirmation from HM Treasury that any additional funding announced by departments is new money and has not been reallocated from existing resources. Where consequential funding is received, it is held centrally. Funding is then allocated by the Scottish Government in light of all competing pressures and the Government’s priorities.

  At the present time there has been no indication of the status of this announcement on support for disabled children.

Children with Disabilities

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to consult the families of disabled children and other representative groups on the use of any funding for disabled children allocated under the Barnett formula.

Adam Ingram: All funding eligible for allocation to Scottish budgets by way of budget consequentials is held centrally. It is then allocated by the Scottish Government in light of all competing pressures and the Government’s priorities.

  The Scottish Government is fully committed to consulting families with disabled children, as well as representative organisations, before taking decisions on issues which affect them.

Communities

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the Minister for Communities and Sport understands by targeting resources on those in need.

Stewart Maxwell: The framework underpinning any initiative or programme which aims to target resources on those in need will vary according to the context.

Communities Scotland

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing will confirm whether abolition of Communities Scotland would require legislation, as discussed during the Local Government and Communities Committee meeting on 27 June 2007 ( Official Report c. 20).

Stewart Maxwell: Ministers are currently considering the most effective organisational structures for the future delivery of Communities Scotland’s functions. That process will involve consideration of any legislation that might be necessary to support the transfer of Communities Scotland’s functions, although legislation would not of itself be required to abolish Communities Scotland.

Culture

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-720 by Linda Fabiani on 21 June 2007, when she will be in a position to provide a definition of artists for the purposes of the operation of the grants scheme proposal.

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-720 by Linda Fabiani on 21 June 2007, what considerations will determine her decision regarding a definition of artists for the purposes of the operation of the grants scheme proposal.

Linda Fabiani: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-1605 on 2 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Defence

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the UK Government in relation to the decision to amalgamate the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, the Black Watch, the Highlanders, the Kings Own Scottish Borderers, the Royal Highland Fusiliers and the Royal Scots into the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Jim Mather: No representations in relation to the decision to amalgamate Scottish Regiments has been made to the UK Government by this administration. Representation was made to the UK Government by the previous Scottish Executive but this did not prevent regiment amalgamations. The formation of the Royal Regiment of Scotland took place on 28 March 2006.

Dental Health

Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients in the North East Fife parliamentary constituency are registered with an NHS dentist.

Shona Robison: Information on the number of patients in a parliamentary constituency who are registered with an NHS dentist is not available. However, information is available by NHS board: at 31 March 2006, there were 171,845 people registered in NHS Fife.

Dental Health

Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies there are in the North East Fife parliamentary constituency for registration of new patients on an NHS dental list.

Shona Robison: Information on vacancies to register with a dentist under NHS arrangements is not held centrally.

Dental Health

Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people living in the North East Fife parliamentary constituency are waiting to register on an NHS dental list.

Shona Robison: Information on waiting lists is not held centrally.

Dental Health

Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people under the age of 18 living in the North East Fife parliamentary constituency are not registered with a dentist.

Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged 18 to 65 living in the North East Fife parliamentary constituency are not registered with a dentist.

Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people over the age of 65 living in the North East Fife parliamentary constituency are not registered with a dentist.

Shona Robison: This information is not held.

Dental Health

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve access to NHS dentistry in Lochaber.

Shona Robison: Responsibility for the overall provision of NHS dental services in Lochaber rests with NHS Highland which opened a new five surgery dental centre in June. This centre replaced a three surgery modular unit. Recruitment is currently underway to fill the two additional posts.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are waiting for drug and alcohol (a) in-patient and (b) residential rehabilitation services, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: A national waiting times information framework was implemented in April 2004, to enable Alcohol and Drug Action Teams (ADATs) and local services to monitor waiting times for drug treatment and care in their local areas. Information on waiting times for alcohol rehabilitation programmes is not held centrally.

  Document drug treatment waiting times January to March 2007 by Alcohol and Drug Action Team has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 43147).

  Table 1 presents information, by ADAT, on the number of clients by length of time waited for drug treatment, for (a) clients which have been offered an appointment date for any intervention and (b) clients who are still waiting for an appointment date for any intervention for the period January to March 2007.

  Table 2 presents information, by ADAT, on the number of clients by length of time waited, for (a) clients who have been offered an appointment date for residential detoxification and rehabilitation and (b) clients who are still waiting for an appointment date for residential detoxification and rehabilitation, for the period January to March 2007.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times are for drug and alcohol (a) in-patient and (b) residential rehabilitation services, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information specifically on the average waiting time of clients for particular treatment interventions, by health board is not held centrally.

  A national waiting times information framework was implemented in April 2004, to enable Alcohol and Drug Action Teams (ADATs) and local services to monitor waiting times for drug treatment and care in their local areas. Information on waiting times for alcohol rehabilitation programmes is not held centrally.

  Document longest waiting times for drug treatment services January to March 2007 by Alcohol and Drug Action Team has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 43148).

  Table 1 presents information, by ADAT, on the longest wait for drug treatment and number of clients who have waited this length of time for any intervention, for (a) clients who have been offered an appointment date for any intervention and (b) clients who are still waiting for an appointment date for any intervention, for the period January to March 2007.

  Table 2 presents information, by ADAT, on the longest wait and number of clients who have waited this length of time for residential detoxification and rehabilitation for (a) clients who have been offered an appointment date for residential detoxification and rehabilitation and (b) clients who are still waiting for an appointment date for residential detoxification and rehabilitation, for the period January to march 2007.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on drug and alcohol rehabilitation in each year since 2000-01, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: Allocations to NHS boards from 2000-01 to 2007-08 for alcohol and drug treatment services is in document NHS Board alcohol and drug treatment allocations 2000-2001 to 2007-2008 , a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 43149).

  The Scottish Government does not specify how these allocations should be spent and it is for Alcohol and Drug Action Teams and partner bodies to make these decisions locally.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering issuing guidance similar to the Department of Health’s paper, Initial guide for the commissioning of in-patient and residential rehabilitation drug and alcohol treatment interventions as part of treatment systems.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has commissioned an update of Integrated Care for Drug Users , first published by the Effective Interventions Unit in 2002. The new document will cover planning and delivery of treatment for both drug and alcohol misuse.

Energy

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to meet the major energy suppliers and what matters will be discussed

Jim Mather: I recently brought together many of Scotland’s major energy companies and suppliers to discuss the challenges and opportunities for Scotland’s energy sector, and to seek their views on Scottish energy policy.

  Over the summer recess, I hope to meet again with a variety of energy suppliers, to familiarise myself with their operations and to discuss topical issues relevant to the Scottish people.

  The First Minister has also met with the Chief Executive’s of Scottish and Southern Energy and Scottish Power (Iberdrola). Amongst other things, they discussed options for the further development of low carbon generation in Scotland.

Energy

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to meet Ofgem and what matters will be discussed.

Mr Jim Mather: I recently brought together all of Scotland’s major energy companies and suppliers to discuss the future supply and demands on Scotland’s energy sector. Ofgem attended this seminar and contributed to discussions on a wide range of energy related issues, including security of energy supplies and transmission constraints as well as the development of the Scottish energy strategy.

Enterprise

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates that the tenders for Scottish Enterprise Network’s Business Gateway will be awarded.

Mr Jim Mather: Scottish Enterprise issued new contracts for the local delivery of Business Gateway services on 11 July 2007.

Enterprise

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is reviewing the operation of Scottish Enterprise Network’s Business Gateway and, if so, what the timescale is for the review.

Jim Mather: Scottish Enterprise has reviewed the operation of the Business Gateway over the past two years. This has now been completed and new contracts for the local delivery of Business Gateway services were issued on 11 July 2007.

Enterprise

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what grants are available to assist women in business.

Jim Mather: Economic development is the responsibility of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. As such, most grant assistance to businesses is available through both bodies and I have asked their Chief Executives to respond to you directly.

  Some direct grant assistance to businesses is, however, available through the Scottish Executive. Regional Selective Assistance is the Executive’s main grant scheme aimed at encouraging investment and jobs creation in those areas of Scotland designated for regional aid.

  The SMART: SCOTLAND programme provides direct grant assistance to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) improve their competetiveness by developing new, highly innovative and commercially viable products and processes. The SCORE programme also provides grant assistance to SMEs for collaborative near market research and development projects.

  Ownership of the business is not a determinent of eligibility for these schemes and they are available, subject to meeting scheme criteria, to female owned businesses.

  Further to this, the whole range of grants that will be available under the new Scotland Rural Development Programme will be available to land management businesses run by women on the same basis as those run by men. Women will also be one of the target groups for the new LEADER programme.

Enterprise

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what grants are available to assist sole traders to expand their businesses.

Jim Mather: Economic development is the responsibility of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. As such, most grant assistance to businesses is available through both bodies and I have asked their Chief Executives to respond to you directly.

  Some direct grant assistance to businesses is however available through the Scottish Executive. Regional Selective Assistance is the Executive’s main grant scheme aimed at encouraging investment and jobs creation in those areas of Scotland designated for regional aid.

  The SMART: SCOTLAND programme provides direct grant assistance to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) improve their competetiveness by developing new, highly innovative and commercially viable products and processes. The SCORE programme also provides grant assistance to SMEs for collaborative near market research and development projects.

  Ownership of the business is not a determinent of eligibility for these schemes and they are available, subject to meeting scheme criteria, to sole traders.

  A range of grants will also be available to help farmers and other land managers to expand their businesses under the new Scotland Rural Development Programme, which is currently with the European Commission for approval.

Enterprise

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what grants are available to assist small businesses to develop e-trading.

Jim Mather: Economic development is the responsibility of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. As such, most grant assistance to businesses is available through both bodies and I have asked their Chief Executives to respond to you directly.

  Some direct grant assistance to businesses is, however, available through the Scottish Executive. Regional Selective Assistance is the Executive’s main grant scheme aimed at encouraging investment and jobs creation in those areas of Scotland designated for regional aid.

  The SMART: SCOTLAND programme provides direct grant assistance to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) improve their competetiveness by developing new, highly innovative and commercially viable products and processes. The SCORE programme also provides grant assistance to SMEs for collaborative near market research and development projects.

  Ownership of the business is not a determinent of eligibility for these schemes and they are available, subject to meeting scheme criteria, to small businesses.

Fire Service

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-880 by Stewart Stevenson on 21 June 2007, what discussions it has had with Scottish Water or individual fire and rescue services regarding the issue of vandalism of fire hydrants.

Stewart Stevenson: None. But my previous answer to question S3W-880 on 21 June 2007, noted that a city-wide partnership involving Glasgow City Council, the police and fire and rescue services and Scottish Water is in place to help address the issue of vandalism to fire hydrants.

Fuel Poverty

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households are affected by fuel poverty, broken down by (a) electoral region, (b) local authority area and (c) parliamentary constituency.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) provides estimates of numbers of households affected by fuel poverty in each local authority area. We do not hold information for electoral regions or parliamentary constituencies.

  The following table shows the central estimate of the number of households which are estimated to be fuel poor in each of Scotland’s 32 local authorities. The estimates come from combined 2003-04 and 2004-05 SHCS data. The fieldwork for these two survey years covers the period from October 2003 to September 2005. Because of the small sample size in each local authority the estimates lie within a fairly wide confidence interval.

  

Local Authority
Number of Fuel Poor Households
Total No. of Households in LA


Aberdeen City
14,000
100,000


Aberdeenshire
18,000
98,000


Angus
8,000
50,000


Argyll and Bute
14,000
42,000


Borders
10,000
51,000


Clackmannanshire
2,000
22,000


Dumfries and Galloway
14,000
67,000


Dundee
8,000
66,000


East Ayrshire
10,000
53,000


East Dunbartonshire
6,000
43,000


East Lothian
6,000
40,000


East Renfrewshire
6,000
36,000


Edinburgh
26,000
210,000


Eilean Siar
5,000
12,000


Falkirk
7,000
66,000


Fife
23,000
156,000


Glasgow
48,000
276,000


Highland
28,000
98,000


Inverclyde
6,000
37,000


Midlothian
5,000
33,000


Moray
9,000
38,000


North Ayrshire
11,000
62,000


North Lanarkshire
17,000
139,000


Orkney Islands
3,000
9,000


Perth and Kinross
19,000
63,000


Renfrewshire
9,000
78,000


Shetland Islands
3,000
10,000


South Ayrshire
9,000
51,000


South Lanarkshire
21,000
133,000


Stirling
5,000
36,000


West Dunbartonshire
6,000
42,000


West Lothian
8,000
69,000


Scotland
384,000
2,285,000

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average body mass index was in each NHS board area in each year since 2004.

Shona Robison: The information requested is not available for each year since 2004.

  The Scottish Health Survey gives average Body Mass Index (BMI) for children and adults. The most recent data available is for the year 2003. NHS board level results are only available for adult BMI data.

  NHS Board Level: Mean BMI by Gender and NHS Board (ADULTS Aged 16+ Years)

  

 
Mean BMI
Sample Base (Unweighted)


Males
Females
All Adults
All Adults


Argyll and Clyde
27.4
27.2
27.3
379


Ayrshire and Arran
27.4
27.2
27.3
484


Borders
27.2
26.9
27.1
285


Dumfries and Galloway
27.7
27.6
27.6
464


Fife
26.9
27.3
27.1
452


Forth Valley
26.4
27.3
26.8
330


Grampian
26.7
27.2
26.9
615


Greater Glasgow
26.8
26.6
26.7
1027


Highland
27.2
27.6
27.4
610


Lanarkshire
27.5
27.4
27.5
593


Lothian
27.2
26.8
27.0
860


Orkney, Shetland, Western Isles
[27.8]
[27.6]
27.7
195


Tayside
26.4
27.8
27.2
406


Scotland
27.0
27.2
27.1
6700



  Source: Scottish Health Survey 2003.

  Notes:

  1. Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles have been combined due to the small sample sizes within each of these three NHS boards.

  2. Estimates based on an effective sample size below 100 have been presented in square brackets to draw users’ attention to the small sample size.

  3. A separate set of tables presents the standard errors, design factors and 95% confidence intervals for a selection of these health board estimates in order to help users assess the precision of the estimates:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/11/25145024/50264.

  Scotland level: Mean BMI by age and sex (children aged 2-15 years):

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/11/25145024/50271.

  (See table 5.4 on page 123.)

  Scotland level: Mean BMI by age and sex (adults aged 16+ years):

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/11/25145024/50261.

  (See table 5.5 on page 175.)

  Note: The relationship between BMI and definition of overweight and obesity is straightforward for adults, but more complex for children. See background notes for further information.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the rates of (a) overweight and (b) obesity have been among (i) children under 11 years, (ii) children aged from 11 to 18 and (iii) adults in each year since 2003.

Shona Robison: The information requested is available from several sources, but not necessarily for all of the specific age groups or years requested.

  The Scottish Health Survey gives estimates of the prevalence of obesity and overweight in children and adults. The most recent data available is for the year 2003.

  Prevalence of obesity and overweight by age and sex (children aged 2 to 15 years):

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/11/25145024/50271 (See table 5.5 on page 123.)

  Prevalence of obesity and overweight by age and sex (adults aged 16+ years):

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/11/25145024/50261 (See table 5.5 on page 175.)

  In addition, all NHS boards in Scotland provide a Child Health Surveillance Programme where children are offered routine reviews at various stages of their life. The majority of Boards record these reviews using the electronic child health systems, CHSP-Pre-School and CHSP-School. The latest available information from these systems on levels of obesity and overweight derived from height and weight measurements collected at routine health reviews is published for NHS boards participating in CHSP-School and CHSP-Pre-School at http://www.isdscotland.org/child_obesity. (Click on "obesity statistics" to access a list of available tables and charts.)

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many isolation beds there have been in each NHS board area in each year since 1999.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information on isolation facilities in NHS boards in Scotland was collated by Health Protection Scotland during February 2004 as part of a one off exercise to support Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) preparedness planning. Since that time no further national census or audit has been undertaken.

  The information obtained during the February 2004 audit is shown in the following table. Availability of Isolation Facilities Within Acute Hospitals in NHSScotland (2004)

  

NHS Board/Area
Total Number of Isolation Rooms


Argyll and Clyde
237


Ayrshire and Arran
204


Borders
65


Dumfries and Galloway
142


Fife
187


Forth Valley
150


Grampian
282


Greater Glasgow
586


Highland
137


Lanarkshire
323


Lothian
508


Orkney
13


Shetland
22


Tayside
245


Western Isles
66


Special Board (Golden Jubilee National Hospital)
175


TOTAL
3,342



   Note: Figures for Argyll and Clyde are shown in the table as the audit took place prior to the dissolution of NHS Argyll and Clyde.   Housing

Health

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that GPs should be permitted to charge patients for the provision of medical evidence in support of a housing application.

Shona Robison: The contract between general practitioners and the National Health Service is for the provision of essential medical services. Since the inception of the NHS it has included the making available to patients a range of certificates free of charge for certain national purposes such as claims for social security, unfitness for jury service and absent voting by reason of physical incapacity. The provision of certificates for other purposes, including services provided by local authorities, is outwith the contract.

Health

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many houses for social rent ministers aim to build over the next three years.

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many houses for low-cost ownership ministers aim to build over the next three years.

Stewart Maxwell: Decisions on affordable housing investment during the period 2008-11 will depend on the outcome of the spending review process later this year.

Health

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it plans to take to improve the uptake of private landlord registration.

Stewart Maxwell: There has been a good response from private landlords to the requirement to apply for registration. Local authorities have a range of measures available to them to identify those who have not yet applied and ensure that they do so. It is also encouraging to note that some interests, such as local newspapers and mortgage lenders, are supporting the scheme by requiring proof of a valid application for registration from those seeking to let property.

Health

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-711 by Stewart Maxwell on 18 June 2007, what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding the process of landlord registration.

Stewart Maxwell: Ministers in the current government have not yet had any discussions with local authorities regarding the process of landlord registration. Officials are in contact with local authority registration teams on a daily basis and attend meetings of the National Networking Group on landlord registration, which has members drawn from all 32 local authorities. Local authorities are also represented, under the auspices of COSLA, on the Implementation Advisory Group for landlord registration convened by the Scottish Government.

Health

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-711 by Stewart Maxwell on 18 June 2007, when it will commence a review of the initial implementation process of landlord registration.

Stewart Maxwell: No decisions have been made yet on the timing of the review.

Health

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-711 by Stewart Maxwell on 18 June 2007, how much it has allocated to Glasgow City Council to assist with the implementation process of landlord registration.

Stewart Maxwell: Glasgow City Council has been allocated £623,630 in grant for the implementation of landlord registration. This covers the period February 2006 to March 2008.

Health

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-711 by Stewart Maxwell on 18 June 2007, whether it has received any representations from local authorities regarding difficulties in relation to the implementation process of landlord registration.

Stewart Maxwell: Since the introduction of landlord registration in March 2006 the Scottish government has received formal written representations on various aspects of the scheme from Stirling Council (March 2006), North Ayrshire Council (June 2006), Orkney Islands Council (August 2006) and the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers (March 2007).

  Officials are in contact with local authority registration teams informally on a daily basis and through the National Networking Group on landlord registration, and work closely with local authorities to resolve any issues that are raised.

Health

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-711 by Stewart Maxwell on 18 June 2007, whether the number of landlord registration applications to Glasgow City Council has exceeded expectations and, if so, by how many.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish government does not hold information on the number of landlords operating in Glasgow. The consultation paper on the implementation of private landlord registration estimated that, across Scotland, there were around 40,000 landlords. This was based on census data on the number of households living in the private rented sector and research on the average number of properties owned by each landlord. To date 93,837 applications for registration have been received, but this includes landlords who are required to apply in more than one local authority area. 11,696 applications have been made to Glasgow City Council.

  One of the benefits of the landlord registration scheme will be the provision of more accurate information about the number and profile of landlords in Scotland.

Health

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make a detailed submission to the Office of Fair Trading’s investigation into the house building industry.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish government welcomes the OFT study which will examine an area of importance to both the economy and the individual house-buyer. While the main focus of the investigation will be on the house building industry in England, there are obvious parallels with circumstances in Scotland. We will therefore maintain a close interest in the study and will participate as appropriate.

Health

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the review of affordable housing will take into account the earned income of those dependent on rented accommodation.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government’s review of social housing is considering how to ensure that social housing remains affordable for those in work and earning low incomes.

Health

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1011 by Stewart Maxwell on 26 June 2007, how long Communities Scotland took to conclude that the proposal by Hjaltland Housing Association and Shetland Islands Council to operate a tenants incentive scheme had no implications for other local authority areas; when Communities Scotland expects to complete its assessment of the proposal; how soon thereafter it will inform Hjaltland Housing Association and Shetland Islands Council of the outcome, and whether it is normal for Communities Scotland to take more than 13 months to consider such proposals.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  We concluded in February 2007 that, while the Shetland proposal had potential wider implications for other local authorities, it was nevertheless reasonable to consider the specific Shetland proposal on its own merits.

  Communities Scotland will conclude its assessment of the proposal on receipt of a response from Hjaltland Housing Association on a suggested amendment to the proposal. Shetland Islands Council and Hjaltland Housing Association will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.

  Consideration of this proposal has taken considerably longer than usual as a fundamental change to the rules for use of additional council tax income is being sought. That has involved more detailed consideration of the proposal itself and its potential wider implications.

Health

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-954 by Stewart Maxwell on 18 June 2007, whether the minister considers all first-time buyers to be excluded from the housing market.

Stewart Maxwell: No. There were around 38,900 first-time buyers in 2006. Many more households are currently struggling to access owner-occupation. The Scottish Government wants to help more first-time buyers to meet their ownership aspirations. We are looking at a range of measures to achieve this, including development of the Scottish Housing Support Fund for shared equity provision announced on 21 June and also grants.

Health

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-954 by Stewart Maxwell on 18 June 2007, whether it is possible to support more individuals and families who are excluded from the housing market by providing a £2,000 grant to all first-time buyers.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government will look closely at the benefits for the people of Scotland which might be achieved from any new initiatives. The Scottish Government wants to help more individuals and families to meet their ownership aspirations and is considering a range of measures to achieve this. In addition to development of the Scottish Housing Support Fund for shared equity provision announced on 21 June, we are also considering grants to first-time buyers.

Health

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-954 by Stewart Maxwell on 18 June 2007, what the minister would define as assistance to those who are excluded from the housing market.

Stewart Maxwell: Assistance to those who are excluded from the housing market could include financial help or practical help through advice and guidance.

Health

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-703 and S3W-954 by Stewart Maxwell on 15 and 18 June 2007, why the minister considers that Homestake should be made available to those who aspire to home ownership, but who are unable to become owner-occupiers with their own resources, but that a first-time buyers’ grant should be made available to all first-time buyers.

Stewart Maxwell: Homestake is targeted mainly at first-time buyers on low to modest incomes, but it can help a number of other priority groups too, such as disabled owner-occupiers requiring to move and owners whose homes are being demolished. The Scottish Government is considering grants to first-time buyers as part of a package of support for first-time buyers.

Health

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will examine and review the results of any referenda on housing stock transfer options that have taken place in the last four years.

Stewart Maxwell: We have no plans to do so. Where a landlord has conducted a ballot to establish whether its tenants wish a transfer proposal to proceed, the Scottish Government will respect the choice made by the tenants at that ballot.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance will be given to local authorities to implement the National Registration Scheme for Private Landlords.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish government will continue to work closely with local authorities to implement landlord registration. This includes providing funding, training events and regular meetings to discuss implementation issues.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what information is required to determine who is a suitable landlord for registration under the National Registration Scheme for Private Landlords.

Stewart Maxwell: In assessing whether an applicant (landlord or agent) is a fit and proper person, local authorities must take account of the information prescribed in section 85 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004.

  Paraphrased, section 85 covers:

  any material which shows that the individual has:

  committed any offence involving fraud, dishonesty, violence or drugs;

  practised unlawful discrimination in any business activity;

  contravened any provision of the law relating to housing or landlord and tenant relations;

  any material relating to any action (or failure to act) in relation to antisocial behaviour affecting a house which the person lets or manages;

  any material relating to an arrangement for an agent to act for the landlord in relation to the lease or occupancy arrangement, and

  any other material relevant to the question of whether the person is fit and proper.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether information relating to spent convictions has been taken into account in approving registered landlords under the National Registration Scheme for Private Landlords.

Mr Stewart Maxwell: The local authority can take into account all convictions – spent or unspent – in considering whether an applicant is fit and proper to be letting houses.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what information the police are required to give, and in what circumstances, in relation to the suitability of landlords applying to register under National Registration Scheme for Private Landlords.

Stewart Maxwell: The police are not required to give information in relation to the suitability of landlords applying to register. It is a matter for the local authority to determine whether an applicant (landlord or agent) is a fit and proper person. In assessing whether an applicant is fit and proper, the local authority may take account of information provided by the police. Local authorities work with the police as required on a range of issues and many have specific arrangements in place for sharing information in relation to concerns linked to private rented housing.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities are required to apply to Disclosure Scotland for checks on people who apply for registration under the National Registration Scheme for Private Landlords and, if so, whether local authorities are required to pay the Disclosure Scotland fee in these circumstances.

Stewart Maxwell: Local authorities are not required to seek disclosure checks on applicants to the landlord registration scheme. However, authorities may wish to apply for standard disclosures in relation to applicants and registered persons in some cases. It is for the local authority to decide whether they or the applicant should bear the cost of making the application.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the delay in processing and approving applications to the National Registration Scheme for Private Landlords.

Stewart Maxwell: Landlord registration has been a substantial new initiative for local authorities to handle. Procedures and staff have had to be put in place for:

  confirming application details with landlords and agents;

  invoicing those landlords or agents who have not paid online;

  compiling a list with other local authority services of landlords or agents whose applications they wish to review;

  approving and rejecting applications, and

  enforcement activity, in particular finding and chasing up landlords who have not yet applied for registration.

  Authorities have adopted different approaches to the task, depending on their internal governance and accountability structures, the department in which landlord registration is based, the extent of provision already in place for liaising with private landlords and the type of internal IT system in place. For example, some authorities require committee approval for decisions on registration of individual landlords, whereas in others most of the decision-making has been delegated to officials.

  All local authorities have made use of the central IT system for receiving applications and changes in landlords’ details, and use this data in issuing letters to landlords and agents. This is enabling the large number of applications (more than 93,000) to be handled, but as will be clear from the list above it does not entirely automate the process of granting approvals. There have been some difficulties with the system, for example in producing confirmation letters to send to landlords. Differences in local authorities’ own IT systems meant that they could not all use the application data in the same format. The Scottish Government has worked with the authorities and the system developers to bring forward solutions.

  A further factor in progress has been the sheer volume of applications. One of the benefits of registration will be to provide better data on the size and structure of the private rented sector. Prior to implementation, some 40,000 applications were expected on the basis of census data and research on the typical size of rented housing portfolios. In the event, more than twice this number of applications has been made, in part because of landlords holding property in more than one local authority and because some rented properties are jointly owned by two or more people, but in the main, it seems, because the number of landlords is much larger than estimated.

  A number of factors have therefore affected the rate at which applications for registration have been approved. Overall, however, we are disappointed with the rate of progress and wish to see it accelerate. We will continue to work closely with local authorities to support those which are experiencing difficulties.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the 70,000 backlog of applications for the National Registration Scheme for Private Landlords to be processed and approved.

Stewart Maxwell: The registration of private landlords and agents is a matter for local authorities.

  The Scottish government is disappointed with the overall progress so far and is determined to see faster progress in some areas. We are working with local authorities to improve the situation and the number of landlords being registered is increasing all the time.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the administrative and technical costs have been of implementing the National Registration Scheme for Private Landlords.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish government has incurred expenditure relating to implementing landlord registration as follows:

  

Production of consultation paper, guidance to local authorities, and shell leaflets for landlords and tenants, for local authorities’ use: 
£10,654.82


Development and maintenance of online registration system:
£566,189.30


IT training events for local authority staff: 
£3741.34


Banking charges, for processing fees paid online and distributing to local authorities: 
£24,386.19



  £5.2 million has also been allocated for grant to support local authorities’ implementation of the scheme. Of this, £3,225,000 has been paid so far and £1,975,000 is due to be paid in the current financial year. This is in addition to local authorities’ income from fees.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff it has allocated to support and advise local authorities on the implementation of the National Registration Scheme for Private Landlords.

Stewart Maxwell: There are currently three members of staff whose duties include supporting the implementation of landlord registration. In addition, an external IT contractor provides support to local authorities in relation to use of the online registration system.

Health

Aileen Campbell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new mortgages were taken out in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Stewart Maxwell: Estimates of the number of loans issued for house purchase in Scotland are set out in the following table. These data are sourced from the Council of Mortgage Lenders. The notes to the tables explain the coverage of the estimates and the reasons for a possible break in comparability between 2004 and 2005, at which point the Regulated Mortgage Survey replaced the Survey of Mortgage Lenders.

  

Year
Number of Loans Issued for House Purchase - Scotland


2002
126,700


2003
129,800


2004
124,400



  Source: Survey of Mortgage Lenders (SML).

  

Year
Number of Loans Issued for House Purchase - Scotland


2005
102,900


2006
104,200



  Source: Regulated Mortgage Survey (RMS).

  Notes:

  1. The estimates include loans to home-movers taking out a loan to secure house purchase and loans to first-time buyers (including those exercising the right to buy their social rented property). The estimates exclude cash purchases and remortgaging activity. The estimates also exclude buy-to-let purchases and second-charge mortgages, as these transactions are not regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

  2. Data to April 2005 is based on the Survey of Mortgage Lenders (SML), grossed from a UK sample generally below 50% of all mortgage transactions. Data from April 2005 is drawn from the Regulated Mortgage Survey, which contains transaction-level data on approximately 85% of all new regulated mortgages issued in Scotland. RMS data is based on statutory Financial Service Authority returns.

  3. There is a significant drop from 2004 to 2005, both in terms of the volume of loans issued in Scotland, and the proportion of the UK total comprised by Scottish loans. CML indicates this may be due in part to a small number of lenders over-reporting Scottish data under the previous SML regime.

  3. Internal analysis indicates that the grossed figures for 2005-06 are likely to be accurate to around 4%.

Health

Aileen Campbell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the new mortgages taken out in Scotland in each of the last five years were buy-to-let mortgages.

Stewart Maxwell: The requested information is not held centrally.

Health

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the review of affordable housing will take into account the remuneration levels currently earned by the directors and senior management of registered social landlords.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government’s review of social housing is considering how registered social landlords, as independent organisations, can be encouraged to achieve better value for money in their operations as a whole.

Income

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of the number of people earning the national minimum wage or below in the (a) Orkney Islands, (b) Shetland Islands, (c) Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, (d) Ross, Skye and Inverness West, (e) Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, (f) Argyll and Bute, (g) Western Isles and (h) Moray parliamentary constituencies.

John Swinney: The preferred source for earnings estimates is the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), which is carried out by the Office for National Statistics.

  The following table shows the estimated number of employees earning the National Minimum Wage (NMW) or below in the Orkney and Shetland Islands; Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross; Ross, Skye and Inverness West; Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber; Argyll and Bute; Western Isles, and Moray parliamentary constituencies in 2006 (latest data).

  It is not possible to provide individual estimates for the Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands using ASHE data.

  Table 1: Number of people earning the minimum wage or below in selected parliamentary constituencies, 2006

  

 
2006


Orkney and Shetland Islands
400


Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
1,800


Ross, Skye and Inverness West
2,500


Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
2,900


Argyll and Bute
1,100


Western Isles
800


Moray
2,200



  Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

  Notes:

  1. The estimates are based on the hourly pay excluding overtime and shift premium payments.

  2. The estimates are based on a sample survey, and as such, are subject to sampling error.

  3. The estimates are based on place of residence.

  4. Parliamentary constituencies based on 2005 revision.

Inter-Governmental Links

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister first received a minute on the existence of the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments and to which ministers, including the Lord Advocate, that minute was copied.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when and how the Cabinet Secretary for Justice was informed of the existence of the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister was given a copy with the full text of the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments and to which ministers, including the Lord Advocate, it was copied.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when and how the First Minister was first informed of any part of the detailed content of the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments and which other ministers, including the Lord Advocate, were informed.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister first minuted other ministers regarding the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments and which ministers, including the Lord Advocate, were minuted.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, during the period between it first being informed of the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments and the First Minister’s emergency statement to the Parliament on 7 June 2007, how many minutes were sent on the issue; on what dates they were sent; from whom and to whom they were sent, and which other ministers, including the Lord Advocate, received copies.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many submissions by officials were made and to which ministers, including the Lord Advocate, on the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments and which ministers were copied into those submissions.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, during the period between it first being informed of the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments and the First Minister’s emergency statement to the Parliament on 7 June 2007, any minutes were sent from the Cabinet Secretary for Justice to the First Minister on the matter and, if so, how many such minutes were sent and on what dates and to whom they were copied.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many conversations took place between the Lord Advocate and the First Minister during the period between the First Minister first being informed of the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments and him formally consulting the Lord Advocate on the matter about (a) the memorandum of understanding and (b) any other issue.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, during the period between the First Minister first being informed of the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments and his emergency statement to the Parliament on 7 June 2007, any minute was sent from the Lord Advocate to the First Minister on this matter and, if so, how many such minutes were sent and on what dates and to which ministers they were copied.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Lord Advocate was invited to the Cabinet to give advice on the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments; if so, when, and if not, why not.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments was a formal item on the agenda issued for the Cabinet’s meeting on 5 June 2007 and whether any papers supporting the item were circulated or whether the item was taken as a late item without having been a formal agenda item.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments was circulated in advance to the Cabinet, prior to its meeting on 5 June 2007.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet agenda for the meeting on 5 June 2007 was issued to ministers, including the Lord Advocate.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments, or any other paper concerning the memorandum of understanding, was tabled at the Cabinet meeting on 5 June 2007.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Lord Advocate was made aware that the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments was to be discussed at Cabinet and, if so, how and when she was made aware of it.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Lord Advocate saw any Cabinet papers sent in advance or tabled at Cabinet on the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments prior to their circulation or tabling and whether she was given the opportunity to comment on these papers.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive why the Cabinet did not receive the Lord Advocate’s opinion and advice on the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments at its meeting on 5 June 2007.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether at any point following being informed about the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments the First Minister invited the Lord Advocate to discuss the matter with the Lord Chancellor; if so, when, and, if not, why not.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, at any point after being informed about the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments, the First Minister invited the Permanent Secretary to discuss the matter with the UK Cabinet Secretary; if so, when, and, if not, why not.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, at any time between the First Minister first being informed of the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments and his emergency statement to the Parliament on 7 June 2007, UK officials advised that the memorandum of understanding did not have the implications that the First Minister outlined in his statement and, if so, why this was not reflected in the statement.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, with regard to the First Minister’s emergency statement to the Parliament on 7 June 2007 on the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments, the First Minister considered including in the formal statement copied in advance to opposition leaders reference to that part of the memorandum of understanding that made clear that the UK Government was committed to seeking the agreement of devolved administrations; if so, what consideration he gave to including it, and, if not, why he did not.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, with regard to the First Minister’s emergency statement to the Parliament on 7 June 2007 on the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments, the First Minister considered explicitly stating in the formal statement copied in advance to opposition leaders that the UK Government could not agree to any prisoner release within Scotland without a decision to that effect being made by the Scottish ministers; if so, what consideration he gave to including it, and, if not, why he did not.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how long the First Minister plans to take before consulting the Lord Advocate on any future emergencies with a legal dimension and what the First Minister considers to be an acceptable timescale for such consultation.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive why the First Minister did not consult the Lord Advocate immediately after being informed of the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet came to any conclusion at its meeting on 5 June 2007 about the handling of the issue of the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments and prior to consulting the Lord Advocate.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there was any communication between it and the UK Government to notify the UK Government of the intention to have an emergency statement in the Parliament on the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments and, if so, on what date and at what time such communication took place.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what day and at what time of that day the First Minister was first made aware of the existence of the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the First Minister was first aware of the existence of the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments.

Kenny MacAskill: In terms of the principle of collective responsibility, under which the government operates, it does not disclose details of the internal processes through which decisions are made, including communications between ministers and the Law Officers and the deliberations of the Cabinet. This is a long-standing convention which is recognised in the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. I refer however, to the terms of the First Minister’s statement to Parliament of 7 June (column 586 of the Official Report ) in which he offered a good deal of information on the matter and the turn of events.

Nutrition

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its commitment to local food procurement in the public sector referred to by the Minister for Environment on 21 June 2007 ( Official Report c. 1120), whether funding will be continued through the Hungry for Success initiative which supported East Ayrshire Council’s local food for school meals pilot.

Adam Ingram: Current funding for the implementation of Hungry for Success has been confirmed until March 2008. Decisions about future funding will be taken as part of the spending review process.

Nutrition

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its commitment to local food procurement in the public sector referred to by the Minister for Environment on 21 June 2007 ( Official Report c. 1120), whether it will make specific funding available to local authorities whose schools wish to follow the Food for Life programme.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Executive already provides funding for school meals and for Hungry for Success. Our priority is to ensure that healthy food is provided in schools. Public procurement law does not permit public bodies to favour local suppliers but by following guidance already issued by the Executive, local authorities can encourage local suppliers to compete for business.

Nutrition

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the provision of free fruit and water to secondary school pupils.

Adam Ingram: The majority of secondary schools already provide free drinking water. The Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007 gives Scottish ministers the power to specify in regulations nutritional requirements for food and drinks in schools, and we are considering whether the regulations should include a requirement for local authorities to provide free drinking water in all their schools. We have made a commitment to extend the free fruit scheme to all primary school pupils. We currently have no plans to extend the scheme to secondary school pupils.

Poverty

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that tackling poverty should be a priority for it.

Stewart Maxwell: We share the UK Government’s long-term objective to eradicate child poverty by 2020 and will continue to do all that we can to ensure that Scottish policies and programmes make the maximum contribution towards this objective and the milestone of halving child poverty by 2010.

  We are currently reviewing existing policy commitments in this area and will make clear what our priorities are in the coming months. By developing policies that reflect our overarching strategic objectives of making Scotland a Wealthier and Fairer, Healthier, Stronger and Safer, Smarter and Greener nation, we will take the steps which ensure that tackling all forms of poverty is an overarching priority for the Scottish Government.

Rail Network

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the STAG 2 report on the re-opening of the station at Reston on the East Coast Main Line will be published.

Stewart Stevenson: This is a matter for Scottish Borders Council and East Lothian Council, as they are progressing the feasibility work on the reopening of the station at Reston.

Rail Network

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration will be given to the study commissioned by the South East of Scotland Transport Partnership and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport concerning a high-speed rail link between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Stewart Stevenson: The study commissioned by the South East of Scotland Transport Partnership and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport will be considered as part of the wider options for the Edinburgh to Glasgow route to improve reliability, attractiveness and journey times through the Strategic Transport Projects Review.

Road Accidents

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times sections of the A82 have been closed or had access otherwise curtailed due to accidents in the last four years.

Stewart Stevenson: Statistics on restrictions due to accidents are not held centrally.

  Transport Scotland has operational responsibility for this matter and can be contacted for more information if required.

Roads

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3O-204 by John Swinney on 14 June 2007 ( Official Report , c. 780-81), whether it plans a full review of the M74 extension.

Stewart Stevenson: No. I also refer the member to the answer to question S3W-795 on 19 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Roads

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the A82 has been restricted due to roadworks in the last four years.

Stewart Stevenson: Between 1 January 2003 and 1 July 2007 the A82 trunk road between the Erskine Bridge and Inverness has been restricted on 2780 occasions due to roadworks. Of these, 613 were on the section in the South West Trunk Road Area from Erskine Bridge to Balloch, and 2167 were on the section in the North West Trunk Road Area from Balloch to Inverness.

  Transport Scotland has operational responsibility for this matter and can be contacted for more information if required.

Roads

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will commit to construction of the North Clyde Development Route.

Stewart Stevenson: The construction of the North Clyde Development Route is a matter for West Dunbartonshire Council and Glasgow City Council as the local roads authorities responsible for the area within which the scheme would be constructed.

Roads

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have been carried out into the economic and social benefits that would accrue to West Dunbartonshire following construction of the North Clyde Development Route.

Stewart Stevenson: Any studies conducted in connection with the construction of the North Clyde Development Route are a matter for West Dunbartonshire and Glasgow City Councils.

Scottish Water

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that the Wester Loch Ewe area has an adequate water supply so that no new developments in the area will be constrained by lack of water.

Stewart Stevenson: This is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply directly to your enquiry.

Smoking

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated for smoking cessation services in the current financial year, broken down by NHS board area.

Shona Robison: The allocation or smoking cessation services in 2007-08 were as follows:

  

 
£000


Ayrshire and Arran 
542


Borders 
170


Dumfries and Galloway 
231


Fife 
462


Forth Valley 
373


Grampian
597


Greater Glasgow 
2,569


Highland 
455


Lanarkshire
1,147


Lothian 
1,311


Orkney 
53


Shetland
59


Tayside
949


Western Isles
82


Total
9,000



  In addition, £2 million has been allocated in 2007-08 to the keep well projects in Greater Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Lothian and Tayside health boards bringing the total available for smoking cessation support to £11 million in 2007-08.

Smoking

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding allocated for smoking cessation services is ring-fenced for underage smokers.

Shona Robison: Funding for smoking cessation services is not currently ring fenced for specific priority groups such as young people. It is for NHS boards to assess needs locally and respond to the demand for cessation services for priority groups accordingly.

Smoking

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding will be put in place for smoking cessation services when the legal age for purchase of cigarettes is raised from 16 to 18 and whether this funding will be ring-fenced for underage smokers.

Shona Robison: NHS Smoking Cessation Services have received additional funding of £2 million this year bringing total funding to a record £11 million. Young people are already a priority group for cessation services and I expect boards to use part of the additional funding to provide support to young people wishing to quit. There are no plans to ring-fence funding specifically for underage smokers.

Smoking

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether additional funding will be made available to local authorities for enforcement purposes when the legal age for purchase of cigarettes is raised from 16 to 18 and, if so, how much will be made available.

Shona Robison: The need to make additional specific resources available to local authorities to enforce tobacco sales will be considered under the current spending review.

Spending Review

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of investment in housing will be considered by the comprehensive spending review.

Stewart Maxwell: The strategic spending review is examining all of the Scottish Government’s spending programmes. At the conclusion of the review, we will announce our spending plans for the period 2008-11, including our planned investment in housing.

Spending Review

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how any consultation on the level of investment to be considered by the comprehensive spending review will be conducted.

Stewart Maxwell: Along with my Cabinet Secretary and ministerial colleagues, I will be in dialogue with a range of stakeholders over the summer to gather evidence and views on how we can use the strategic spending review to set spending plans that will enable us to fulfil our purpose and achieve our strategic objectives.

  Parliament will play its role in scrutinising the government’s spending plans after we have announced them later in the autumn.

Suicide

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people over the age of 60 have died as a result of suicide or by self-inflicted wounds in each year since 1999, also expressed as a percentage of the total number of suicides and broken down by (a) gender and (b) geographical area.

Jim Mather: In presenting statistics on suicides it is conventional to combine deaths classified as intentional self-harm (suicides) with those classified as events of undetermined intent. This is because the majority of the latter are likely to have been suicides. The following tables provide information on this basis.

  Deaths Caused by Intentional Self Harm and Events of Undetermined Intent1 Persons Aged 60 years and Over Scotland 1999-2005

  

(a) by Gender
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005


Persons
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Number of deaths
162
146
148
157
138
138
140


Percentage of all ages
18.5%
16.6%
16.7%
17.5%
17.4%
16.5%
18.3%


Males
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Number of deaths
114
107
94
101
96
90
96


Percentage of all ages
17.2%
15.9%
14.6%
14.9%
16.6%
14.8%
17.5%


Females
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Number of deaths
48
39
54
56
42
48
44


Percentage of all ages
22.7%
19.1%
22.4%
25.1%
19.4%
21.2%
20.6%



  Note: 1. 1999: ICD9 codes E950, E980. 2000-2005: ICD10 codes X60-X84, Y10-Y34, Y87.0, Y87.2.

  Deaths Caused by Intentional Self Harm and Events of Undetermined Intent1 Persons Aged 60 Years and Over Scotland 1999-2005

  

(b) by NHS Board area
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005


Number of deaths
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Scotland
162
146
148
157
138
138
140


Ayrshire and Arran
16
7
11
9
8
11
12


Borders
2
4
1
5
7
3
3


Dumfries and Galloway
8
6
5
9
4
2
8


Fife
9
6
11
15
8
6
11


Forth Valley
8
4
8
2
5
2
4


Grampian
19
19
10
20
17
16
18


Greater Glasgow and Clyde2
43
42
37
46
33
36
28


Highland2
14
10
17
12
12
11
13


Lanarkshire
13
14
15
12
14
11
17


Lothian
14
15
21
23
15
24
15


Orkney
1
3
1
1
1
0
2


Shetland
0
1
0
1
1
1
0


Tayside
14
14
9
2
13
14
8


Western Isles
1
1
2
0
0
1
1


Percentage of All Ages
 
 
 
 
 
 


Scotland
18.5%
16.6%
16.7%
17.5%
17.4%
16.5%
18.3%


Ayrshire and Arran
21.3%
12.3%
12.6%
14.3%
18.2%
22.0%
22.2%


Borders
10.5%
23.5%
6.3%
23.8%
35.0%
18.8%
37.5%


Dumfries and Galloway
22.2%
22.2%
26.3%
32.1%
19.0%
9.1%
28.6%


Fife
20.9%
10.9%
22.0%
22.1%
20.0%
12.0%
20.0%


Forth Valley
15.4%
14.3%
16.3%
4.3%
13.9%
4.8%
15.4%


Grampian
21.1%
22.6%
12.8%
23.8%
21.0%
15.8%
24.0%


Greater Glasgow and Clyde2
18.9%
16.5%
16.4%
19.4%
15.5%
17.1%
14.0%


Highland2
22.6%
14.9%
25.8%
20.7%
20.3%
13.4%
26.5%


Lanarkshire
16.5%
17.7%
18.8%
12.0%
16.5%
13.4%
20.7%


Lothian
12.4%
12.3%
15.7%
17.8%
14.6%
21.8%
12.9%


Orkney
33.3%
75.0%
100.0%
33.3%
16.7%
0.0%
50.0%


Shetland
0.0%
20.0%
0.0%
16.7%
14.3%
25.0%
0.0%


Tayside
20.9%
20.3%
13.0%
3.7%
17.8%
23.0%
14.0%


Western Isles
20.0%
11.1%
25.0%
0.0%
0.0%
33.3%
14.3%



  Notes:

  1. 1999: ICD9 codes E950, E980. 2000-2005: ICD10 codes X60-X84, Y10-Y34, Y87.0, Y87.2.

  2. Incorporating part of the former NHS Argyll and Clyde area.

Suicide

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average suicide rate was per capita in the top 10 council wards with the lowest levels of deprivation, as defined by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, in each year since 1999.

Jim Mather: The information requested is not available. The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation has not been produced at ward level.

Suicide

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of people who have committed suicide or died as a result of self-inflicted wounds or injuries were recorded by their GP as having a known mental health issue prior to their death, in each year since 1999 broken down by NHS board area.

Jim Mather: The information requested is not held centrally.

  The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness contains information on whether people accessed mental health services prior to committing suicide but this will not cover all those who contacted their GP.

  (http://www.medicine.manchester.ac.uk/suicideprevention/nci/)

Suicide

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children under the age of 16 were recorded by the relevant health and social service authorities as having (a) attempted and (b) committed suicide in each year since 1999 and what proportion of those lived in the top 10 most deprived areas, as defined by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, in each year since 1999.

Shona Robison: (a) The information requested in part (a) is not held centrally. In children it is difficult to establish true intent. Therefore it may be incorrect to attempt to derive numbers of "attempted suicide".

  We have however provided data for hospital discharges for children under 16, which have been coded as either deliberate self-harm or undetermined intent. These are shown in the following tables.

  In-Patient and Day Case Hospital Discharges with a Diagnosis of Deliberate Self-Harm - Children Aged Under 16

  

 
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005


No. of patients1
538
612
631
661
637
529
480


Number in most deprived decile in Scotland2
116
108
114
97
98
75
65


Proportion in most deprived decile
21.6
17.6
18.1
14.7
15.4
14.2
13.5



  In-Patient and Day Case Hospital Discharges with a Diagnosis of Undetermined Intent - Children Aged Under 16

  

 
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005


No. of patients1
48
29
19
18
16
20
14


Number in most deprived decile in Scotland2
12
7
9
10
3
2
0


Proportion in most deprived decile
25.0
24.1
47.4
55.6
18.8
10.0
0.0



  Source: SMR01.

  Notes:

  1. Hospital discharges - children aged 0 to 15.

  2. Based on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.

  Up to six diagnosis (1 main, 5 secondary) are recorded on SMR01 returns. All six diagnoses have been used to select discharges for deliberate self harm and undetermined intent.

  The following codes were used from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Other Health Related Problems, tenth revision (ICD10):

  Self Harm: X60-X84.

  Undetermined Intent: Y10-Y34.

  (b) In presenting statistics on suicides it is conventional to combine deaths classified as intentional self-harm (suicides) with those classified as events of undetermined intent. This is because the majority of the latter are likely to have been suicides. However, this assumption is known to be less valid for children, particularly those aged under 10. For this reason the following table shows the two categories separately and restricts the information on events of undetermined intent to deaths aged 10-15.

  

 
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005


Deaths aged under 16 from intentional self harm
4
8
6
3
4
3
4


Deaths aged 10-15 classified as events of undetermined intent
3
4
0
2
1
0
2



  Note: 1. 1999: ICD9 codes E950, E980. 2000-2005: ICD10 codes X60-X84, Y10-Y34, Y87.0, Y87.2

  Deaths Caused by Intentional Self-Harm and Events of Undetermined Intent1 Persons Resident in Datazones in the most Deprived Decile According to SIMD 2006, Selected Ages, Scotland, 1999-2005

  

 
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005


Deaths aged under 16 from intentional self-harm
3
2
0
1
1
1
1


Deaths aged 10-15 classified as events of undetermined intent
0
0
0
0
0
0
1



  Note: 1. 1999: ICD9 codes E950, E980. 2000-2005: ICD10 codes X60-X84, Y10-Y34, Y87.0, Y87.2

Transport

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the (a) Erskine Bridge and (b) Clyde Tunnel have been closed or had access otherwise curtailed in the last four years.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table details the number of closures of the Erskine Bridge in the last four years. Information about partial closures or lane closures is held by route not by specific location.

  The Clyde Tunnel is a local road and is the responsibility of Glasgow City Council.

  

Year
Closures due to Severe Weather
Closures Due to Accidents
Total Closures


2004
0
1
1


2005
2
1
3


2006
3
0
3


2007
3
0
3



  Transport Scotland has operational responsibility for this matter and can be contacted for more information if required.

Transport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of reported comments by Councillor Ian Chisholm that SNP councillors in Fife favour a tunnel under the Forth and his statement in a letter to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change that "I think the consensus view with the public at large is for a tunnel".

Stewart Stevenson: It is Scottish ministers’ responsibility to make the correct decision on the type of replacement Forth crossing based on a factual analysis of the evidence available. Transport Scotland will hold Public Information Events over the summer to hear the views of the people who will be affected by the crossing.

Vaccines

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will offer single vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella as an alternative to the MMR triple vaccine for those currently opting not to have their children vaccinated.

Shona Robison: MMR is the safest, most effective way to protect all children against the risks of Measles, Mumps and Rubella. The uptake of the MMR vaccination remains at a higher level than in recent times, but we will continue to monitor the level of immunisation. We would encourage all parents to consider immunisation in early childhood. It is still the safest and most effective way of protecting all children, and the wider community, against the risks of infectious diseases.

Young People

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will establish a free national proof-of-age scheme.

Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-1112 on 20 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .